LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 155, 25 March 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Under the will of the late. Mrs.' Christina Ballingall, a legacy of £100 has been becjue&thed'to tho Trustees of the Wellington Hospital. | The Hon: R. M'Nab, Minister/for Lands, ivill reoeivo a deputation nest Tuesday from settlers of Epuni Hamlet, who desire improved road facilities, including accoss to the Hutt main road via the Elinwc-od Estate. A deputation .from tfie Petdne Borough Council and the Justices of the Peace •. in that .district will wait upon tho Hon. J; M'Gowan, Minister for JuStico,' to-morrow afternoon to ask for a new Courthouse at Petono and adequate accommodation for, the police. . , Tho past, week's rain, has done an im-mense-amount of good' in'the Hawko's Bay and Wairarapa districts.' -A ! week -ago the grass was burned and parched on every side,' but now the. green \is; showing through all. over the countryside, and young grass is springing up 'on the places laid waste by the recent fires. - ' / • : A supplementary conference to arrange details of the agreement which was arrived at recently was' held. yesterday between tho shipping companies and representatives of tho Seamen's Union. tflicHom J.iA. Millar (Minister for' Marine and Labour) presided; The conference sat throughout ■ the day' without concluding its business, and will 'continue this morning. i The oxpress train from Napier last night brought, several hundred excursionists, through, including the majority of the southern rowing aiid swimming men who have been competing at the championship races. A large number of visitors to the Carnival also returned. According to one of the guards, the train .was the largest that has comb South for a considerable time. **

. The business to be considered ait morrow evening's meeting of , the . City Council includes the passing of a speoial order authorising the Council—(ij To borrow £48,000 to pay off overdraft and sundry works loan of £51,000, repayable on June 30, 1908; and (2) the making and levying as security for tho said loan, and interest thereon a special rate of 9-140 d. in the £ on tho basis of tho unimproved valuo on all rateable property in tho City of Wellington, as it was bounded prior to its amalgamation with the borough of Melroso.

Tho fish industry is not tho only business in Napier which is alleged to suffer from lack of suitable means of . transport to Wellington. A Hawko's Bay fruit-grower informed a representative of The Dominion that tho present season has boon a vory good one for fruit generally, and grapos in particular. Grapes fresh from the vine are being sold at 6d. per pound. Referring to the Wellington market, tho, grower remarkod that ho had tried sending grapes to Wellington, but tJio arrangements for carrying tlioin woro so poor that'the experiment was not a success, and had to bo abandoilod.

Mrs.Ethel R. do Costa, LI/.8. (noo Mies Etlml R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for somo years in that city, lias commenced prncticc as a barrister'and solicitor in No, G Nathan's Buildings, cornel' Grey and Featlierston Streets, Wellington. Mrs. De' Costa has tho distinction of being the 1 only lady practising at the Bar. in tile Dominion., Tiitonding clients can depend on prompt and careful attention, at Mrs, Da Costa's hands.

Tho Customs revonuo collected at 'Wellington yesterday amounted to £6114 Gs. sd,

The Conciliation Board will meet, in Wellington on Thursday morning to consider its recommendation in tho Butter Workers' dispute.

Mr. A. Hamilton, Director of the Dominion Museum, returned yesterday from a collecting trip to Queenstown and its height bourhood. While ho was in the south Mr. Hamilton succeadcd, with the assistance of tho local entomologists, in obtaining a considerable number of insccts for tho museum collection.

The Wellington. Education Board, at its last meeting, dccided to make application to the/Government for a grant for tile erection at.Potone of a school sufficient to aceOinmodate 250 children. This evidently does notquito satisfy tho Petono School Committee, which is now\ approaching tho Board with a request for. a : larger building, capable of accommodating at least 400 children. . ' . Tho Decalogue will again dome up for discussion by the Wellington Education Board. At the Board's meeting to-morrow afternoon, Mr. A. H. Vilo will table tho following motion, notico of which was given at tho last meeting:—"That teachers in charge of schools ,bo requested to exhibit on tho walls of their schools tho copies of tho Decalogue generously presented by Mr; R. G. Knight, and distributed by tho Bdard's secretary." Tho first term of tho Victoria College 1908 session will commence on Tuesday,. March 31, at 5.15 p.m., when an address to new students will be delivered by the Chairman of tlio/Professorial Board. Afterwards the members of tho professorial staff will meet students for the • purpose of discussing matters 'affecting tho work of their . respective classes. ; A full time-table for the' opening day is advertised in this issue. '• Tho Benevolent Trustees had viewed with disfavour an application for increased aid. The applicant, however, was her own advocate, and pleaded hci; case most volubly. Sho said she could not. work. But her eloqnonco was unavailing, and as she left the room : she gave vent to her indignation ,by slamming the door iii no uncertain manner. " If can bang the door like that," remarked a Trustee, " sho is strong enough to Work."

■ As lias already been stated 111 The Dominion, free rations will be issued- to . all troops taking part in the forthcoming Easter manorrtYres. The following is the scale of. rations per limn per 24 hours:— Milk, -J pint; bread, Ulb,; fresh meat-, ljlb.; cbeeSe, 20z.; coffee, $oz.; tea, Jos.; sugar, 3oz. ;' butter, 20z.; salt, Joz.; pepper, l-320z.; potatoes, lib.; jam, jib.; firewood, 21b. As an alternative to fresh meat and bread, there will be issued, if desired, lib. preserved . meat and - lib. biscuits. 1 Fodder for' mount'ed trcops, Is. Gd. per day per horse. - Mr. J. S. Larko, Canadian Commissioner for Australasia, will deliver an address to members of,the Chamber of Commerce on tho subject of the possibilities of trade and the,means to be adopted for furthering busi-, nGss ; relations between Canada and New Zealand. Members and others, interested ,in the subject are cordially invited to bo present at the lecturo, which if tc bo given in the Chamber oil Friday next, March -27,■ at 8 p.m.'"' "'V -V"-'

The statement that the' authorities had bepn notified of the break in the electric light wire at. Island Bay; as reported in rtho Dominion's account yesterday of the death of the boy-inm4te of the Home of Compassion, was incorrect. It was stated at the inquest yesterday that Mother Mary Joseph Aubort intended reporting to the electric light authorities 011 tho morning of the accident,; but was unable : to do so at the time. On informing the authorities after the accident tfye matter was . attended to. ..

The following i paragraph appears in tho annual report of the Manchester 'Chaml>?r of Commerce, published on February 10, last :—ln New' Zealand the Government lias lately enforced—and despite representations in deprecation of their practice adhere to their decision—a tax on the profits of commercial travellers when they come within the definition of, "non-resident traders" or "non-resident agents." , There, do op-', pear to be many; occasions when a commercial traveller cannot be defined as ti "nonresident trader," and it therefore follows that, in respect of profits made' in Netf 7m v land, the Home firm'is taxed twico over, viz., by the-colony, and again by the Home Government. Of course, af. the amount of any tax 'jjaidj in New Zealand, will ill' future- be calculated in ( the amount- of the price of the. goods, tho first tax is really paid by the Netv Zealandconsumer; but none, the less it is a deterrent to business.

', As soon as a Governor-has made hiniscif thoroughly popular, somebody raises the disturbing question whether his term of office is hot near its end. As this uueotion has been already asked in respect of His Excellency Lord Plunket, it is reassuring to loam, on the authority of the Under-Sec-retary, for Internal Affairs, that a Governor has no fixed. term of office. : In theory, iit least), he might hold the position for twenty years. The Colonial Offtee List, which is tlio authority ,oh the subject, Says: " Every such officer -is appointed during His Majesty's pleasure) but his t-enit of office is, as a rule, the completion of a period of six years from the assumption of his duties.", The statement corrects a hazy, impressioii in . the' public mind that there is h fixed tertt of five years. Lord Pluliket assumed his duties on June 20, 1904, and has, therefore) not yet held office for four years. '■ Lord Rarifurly was Governor for a littlo over sovon years. 1 - .

Now that the Pure Food Act is in.forcb We (says the "Chemist and Druggist") begin to ■ consider that there is need of a good analytical chemist in Wellington. Cases are almost sure to arise wheii expert opinion is very necessary, and often the roslilts hang upon a very fino' thread. Lately we had a case in which a milkmall was fined for having formalin in his milk, trades of which were found by the Government Analyst, although found none. This shows libw easy it would be for the bottles to liavo been washed out with a solution of formalin before the milk was collcotcd, and quite unconsciously a mistake might have arisen without being detected by either parties. Tho Health Department use a lot of formalin. Such a mistako would bo vory simple, and tho oxtromo oaro taken by Government ofiicials is very apt to canso it.

At tho present timo tho Government Mints Department havo , to undertnko almost nil tho work required by tho public, whether it comes directly, under the administration of tho Department, or not, simply becauso thoro aro no private individuals to undertake it. All Indies desiring to beautify their hair, also render it glossy and in good condition for tho various balls, etc., during tho coming season should now book appointments with Mrs. Kolloston, Hair Physician, of 3 Willis Street. (over Carroll's). Courses of treatment, including uecessar.y lotions, from 30s. Advice free, m 1539 , ' 7152

> Tho sittings of tlio Arbitration Court at Wellington will* bo resumed this morning.' In the forenoon the Pullers' dispute will ba heard, and. in tho afternoon applications for enforcements' will bo taken. :

Tho attendances of tho members of the Honorary Medical StafF at the Wellington Hospital during the period from April 1, 1907, to March-18/ 1908, are as follow: Dr. James, 4SI; Dr. Young, 470; Dr. Faulke,. 454; Dr. Adams, 340; Dr. Herbert, 287; Dr.- M'Lean, 253; Dr. Henry, 185; Dr. Collins, 148; Dr. Harty, 83; Dr. Kendall/78; Dr. M'Kenzio, 71. ; .' W .

In view of the Education Board elections, to be held in July next, it will' bo nece-ssary for a ballot to bo taken among certain members of tho Wellington Board, ill order to determine which of them will-re-tiro. The ballot will-be taken as follows:— Wellington Ward, Messrs. W'm. Allen and J. G. W. Aitken, MJ J .; Wairarapa Ward, Messrs. A. H. Vilo and W. C. Buchanan; Hutt and Manawatu Ward, Mr.' J. Ivebbell, and Captain T. W. M'Doiiald. ... i

Mr. C. Parata states that the mis-spelling in TnE Dominion of the Maori place name .Taumatawhakatangihangakoaua'otanenuiarangikitanatahu," through the omission-of the fir3t "u," ' which was pointed'out by a correspondent,'"n;as the effcct of a misprint. Iho corrected spelling given by the correspondent is endorsed by Mr. Parata, who statos, however, that the use of hyphens is unnecessary. l Tho interpretation given wa3 correct, except that taumata means not exactly a' ridge, but the culminating point of a'ridgo from which'an outlook over it is obtained. ... '

.'lt is a" grievance . of the people of Methv'on, Canterbury, thattlicy have to go '22 ■ miles to Ashburton or Rakaia to register their ■ births, deaths, . and marriages. ' The population of Methven has increased considerably, of recent, years) and 1 now that it totals some 500 souls, these journeys have become too frequent to be borne with patience; A deputation from. .Methven, of which Mr. W. J. Dickie was the spokesman, sot theso facts before tho Hon. Dr. Findlay, Minister for Internal Affairs; yesterday, and requested that a local registrar should be appointed. The Minister replied that he would have a report furnished, and consider the matter.